Comments on: Will the NIH Panelists read the blogs and Twitter feeds? And should they? http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025 A Research Blog About Healthy Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:51:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Science & Sensibility » ‘Tis the (Conference) Season: Come share, connect, and learn along with me http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-4171 Science & Sensibility » ‘Tis the (Conference) Season: Come share, connect, and learn along with me Tue, 01 Jun 2010 04:16:26 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-4171 [...] bloggers and other connected consumers attended the NIH Consensus Development Conference on VBAC was astounding and continues to deliver. Since that experience, I’m addicted to putting scientific findings [...] [...] bloggers and other connected consumers attended the NIH Consensus Development Conference on VBAC was astounding and continues to deliver. Since that experience, I’m addicted to putting scientific findings [...]

]]> By: Michelle http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-3475 Michelle Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:30:55 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-3475 Yes, scientific researchers should absolutely pay attention to what women are saying, in blogs and elsewhere. This could happen if the scientific community could cross the aisle more often, and interface on a regular basis with the social science and humanities researchers who are also doing incredible work in this area. I just saw a CFP for the Modern Languages Association conference trying to form a panel of humanities scholars' work on contemporary birth culture in the US; that is only one of many examples of qualitative scholarly work that could go a long way in informing the scientific literature. Primary research for social science and humanities often includes interviewing people with firsthand experience of an issue and/or going to people's written testimony in diaries, letters, blogs or other sources. While scientists are sometimes quick to dismiss firsthand testimony as soft evidence, I believe strongly that they are missing the mark, and think that this example--and the myriad amazing blog posts I've been reading lately about soaring c-section rates and the struggle for VBACs--is a perfect illustration of how and why. So, yes they should read the blogs, but even if they want to stick within the scholarly realm, blogs and other firsthand testimony are still vital forms of evidence already being used by many scholars in creative and fruitful ways. Yes, scientific researchers should absolutely pay attention to what women are saying, in blogs and elsewhere. This could happen if the scientific community could cross the aisle more often, and interface on a regular basis with the social science and humanities researchers who are also doing incredible work in this area. I just saw a CFP for the Modern Languages Association conference trying to form a panel of humanities scholars’ work on contemporary birth culture in the US; that is only one of many examples of qualitative scholarly work that could go a long way in informing the scientific literature. Primary research for social science and humanities often includes interviewing people with firsthand experience of an issue and/or going to people’s written testimony in diaries, letters, blogs or other sources. While scientists are sometimes quick to dismiss firsthand testimony as soft evidence, I believe strongly that they are missing the mark, and think that this example–and the myriad amazing blog posts I’ve been reading lately about soaring c-section rates and the struggle for VBACs–is a perfect illustration of how and why. So, yes they should read the blogs, but even if they want to stick within the scholarly realm, blogs and other firsthand testimony are still vital forms of evidence already being used by many scholars in creative and fruitful ways.

]]> By: Alisa http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2961 Alisa Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:18:37 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2961 Yes, scientific researchers should absolutely pay attention to what women are saying, in blogs and elsewhere. This could happen if the scientific community could cross the aisle more often, and interface on a regular basis with the social science and humanities researchers who are also doing incredible work in this area. I just saw a CFP for the Modern Languages Association conference trying to form a panel of humanities scholars' work on contemporary birth culture in the US; that is only one of many examples of qualitative scholarly work that could go a long way in informing the scientific literature. Primary research for social science and humanities often includes interviewing people with firsthand experience of an issue and/or going to people's written testimony in diaries, letters, blogs or other sources. While scientists are sometimes quick to dismiss firsthand testimony as soft evidence, I believe strongly that they are missing the mark, and think that this example--and the myriad amazing blog posts I've been reading lately about soaring c-section rates and the struggle for VBACs--is a perfect illustration of how and why. So, yes they should read the blogs, but even if they want to stick within the scholarly realm, blogs and other firsthand testimony are still vital forms of evidence already being used by many scholars in creative and fruitful ways. Yes, scientific researchers should absolutely pay attention to what women are saying, in blogs and elsewhere. This could happen if the scientific community could cross the aisle more often, and interface on a regular basis with the social science and humanities researchers who are also doing incredible work in this area. I just saw a CFP for the Modern Languages Association conference trying to form a panel of humanities scholars’ work on contemporary birth culture in the US; that is only one of many examples of qualitative scholarly work that could go a long way in informing the scientific literature. Primary research for social science and humanities often includes interviewing people with firsthand experience of an issue and/or going to people’s written testimony in diaries, letters, blogs or other sources. While scientists are sometimes quick to dismiss firsthand testimony as soft evidence, I believe strongly that they are missing the mark, and think that this example–and the myriad amazing blog posts I’ve been reading lately about soaring c-section rates and the struggle for VBACs–is a perfect illustration of how and why. So, yes they should read the blogs, but even if they want to stick within the scholarly realm, blogs and other firsthand testimony are still vital forms of evidence already being used by many scholars in creative and fruitful ways.

]]> By: Cutting Less: VBAC Navajo Style | ICAN Blog http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2948 Cutting Less: VBAC Navajo Style | ICAN Blog Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:05:04 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2948 [...] National Institutes of Health VBAC conference is stirring up coverage all over the internet (including our own blog carnival) and in the press.  On Sunday, the New York Times published an [...] [...] National Institutes of Health VBAC conference is stirring up coverage all over the internet (including our own blog carnival) and in the press.  On Sunday, the New York Times published an [...]

]]> By: Melissa http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2947 Melissa Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:04:03 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2947 Great post, Amy! I just added it to Midwife Connection. Thanks for keeping us all informed and updated. Great post, Amy! I just added it to Midwife Connection. Thanks for keeping us all informed and updated.

]]> By: Are consumers at the bottom of the evidence pyramid? | e-Patients.net http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2946 Are consumers at the bottom of the evidence pyramid? | e-Patients.net Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:40:38 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2946 [...] on the phenomenal maternity blog Science and Sensibility. See also her newest post, last night, here – including a terrific BlogTalkRadio interview in which she expresses herself on the virtues [...] [...] on the phenomenal maternity blog Science and Sensibility. See also her newest post, last night, here – including a terrific BlogTalkRadio interview in which she expresses herself on the virtues [...]

]]> By: Susannah Fox http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2943 Susannah Fox Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:16:21 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2943 Amy, NIH is a big place, so take my observations with a grain of salt, but I have been impressed with their increasing attention to the world outside. Most of my interactions have been with communications professionals, but the participatory internet has been a topic of intense interest for at least the past 3 years among the scientists I've met, too. Here's a post I wrote about a visit to the NIH in 2008: Participatory Medicine at NIH http://e-patients.net/archives/2008/06/participatory-medicine-at-nih.html And another from 2009: Shared Kismet: Wikipedia and the NIH http://e-patients.net/archives/2009/07/shared-kismet-wikipedia-and-the-nih.html I need to think more about this, but I am starting to see parallels between what Twitter/blogs can do in terms of covering events (see: Sunlight Foundation's coverage of the White House health care summit) and news consumers thirst for multiple sources (see: PewInternet.org/Journalism.org report, "Understanding the Participatory News Consumer"), and the boots-on-the-ground coverage we get from embedded reporters in war zones. Thanks so much for bringing your energy & attention to this topic. As I tweeted yesterday, I'm not a health professional or an advocate, but an observer - a *fascinated* observer. Amy,

NIH is a big place, so take my observations with a grain of salt, but I have been impressed with their increasing attention to the world outside. Most of my interactions have been with communications professionals, but the participatory internet has been a topic of intense interest for at least the past 3 years among the scientists I’ve met, too.

Here’s a post I wrote about a visit to the NIH in 2008:
Participatory Medicine at NIH
http://e-patients.net/archives/2008/06/participatory-medicine-at-nih.html

And another from 2009:
Shared Kismet: Wikipedia and the NIH
http://e-patients.net/archives/2009/07/shared-kismet-wikipedia-and-the-nih.html

I need to think more about this, but I am starting to see parallels between what Twitter/blogs can do in terms of covering events (see: Sunlight Foundation’s coverage of the White House health care summit) and news consumers thirst for multiple sources (see: PewInternet.org/Journalism.org report, “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer”), and the boots-on-the-ground coverage we get from embedded reporters in war zones.

Thanks so much for bringing your energy & attention to this topic. As I tweeted yesterday, I’m not a health professional or an advocate, but an observer – a *fascinated* observer.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025&cpage=1#comment-2939 Sarah Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:04:31 +0000 http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1025#comment-2939 As a birth consumer, I can't help but wonder when medical is going to indicate including people. Since my doctor's had failed to provide me with studies or literature on complications (preeclampsia), risks with inductions, and cesareans, I had to search for my own research. Women's stories, the blogging, and ICAN ARE my INFORMED consent. I no longer can trust the scientific medical field to provide me with their conclusion on research. Hopefully they will listen to us-on what our problems are with these procedures, at least for what they could do research on. The statistics are obviously upholding my desire for VBAC. So, let's see how they can close the gap between the data and what's going to make a healthier environment for me. As a birth consumer, I can’t help but wonder when medical is going to indicate including people. Since my doctor’s had failed to provide me with studies or literature on complications (preeclampsia), risks with inductions, and cesareans, I had to search for my own research. Women’s stories, the blogging, and ICAN ARE my INFORMED consent. I no longer can trust the scientific medical field to provide me with their conclusion on research. Hopefully they will listen to us-on what our problems are with these procedures, at least for what they could do research on. The statistics are obviously upholding my desire for VBAC. So, let’s see how they can close the gap between the data and what’s going to make a healthier environment for me.

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